The invention relates to a system for securing and/or controlling the final position of a first rail, e.g. a tongue rail, that can be adjusted in relation to a stationary second rail, e.g. a rigid rail, wherein the first rail interacts with at least one retaining element that is acted upon by a spring element and can be shifted in relation to a guide element that is rotatable about a stationary first axis, said retaining element in turn supporting the first rail in its respective final position.
In particular, the invention refers to a system for securing and/or controlling the final position of a first rail, e.g. a tongue rail, that can be adjusted in relation to a stationary second rail, e.g. a rigid rail, wherein the first rail interacts with at least one retaining element that is acted upon by a spring element and which, in turn, supports the first rail in its respective final position.
A system of the aforementioned type can be found in DE 295 10 718 U1. The known control mechanism for a switch ensures that the tongue rail always assumes only one of the two final positions, i.e. the abutting or remote final position. For this purpose, an adjusting rod leading to an axis of rotation extends from the tongue rail, two symmetrically arranged retaining and guide element arrangements which are each swivable about a stationary axis extending for their part from said adjusting rod. In this case, a spring tension acts on the retaining element in such a way that the guide/retaining element arrangements must always assume, due to the spring tension, one of two stationary positions which each correspond to one of the final positions of the tongue rail. The axis of rotation from which the adjusting rod extends is thereby found in the respective final position on opposite sides of a straight line connecting the stationary axes of the guide/retaining elements. This means that an often undesired space requirement is needed. Furthermore, considerable forces are required to overcome the spring elements acting on the retaining elements when adjusting the guide/retaining element arrangements. Independent of the previously known adjusting device, additional end position controls are required in order to be able to monitor the position of the tongue rail. Corresponding final position controls are thereby fastened to the bearing rail outside of the ties, control rods extending from the tongue rails themselves to the final position controls. Due to the additional structurally dependent elements, it is necessary to regularly check said elements with respect to their efficiency.
A change-over mechanism for switches can be found in FR A 2 387 833. To adjust the tongue switch, an adjustable lever is turned about a first axis from which a connecting rod extends that is connected with a toggle lever on which a correcting element is articulated that leads to the tongue rail. The first axis extends at a right angle to the swivel axes of the toggle lever and correcting element. A prestressed retaining element that can be turned about a stationary axis acts on the pivotal point between toggle lever and correcting element.
A device for adjusting and locking or unlocking a rail section is described in DE 44 03 259 A1. Final positions of the rail sections can be stopped by means of a prestressed ball element.
The object of the present invention is to provide a system of the aforementioned tape which, with a compact and structurally low-maintenance construction ensures that a movable rail, e.g. a tongue rail, is securely held in its final positions, whereby the position should be simultaneously controlled. It should thereby be ensured, independent of the spring tensions required for fixing the final positions, that undesirably high adjusting forces must be applied to overcome the spring tensions when adjusting the first rail.
According to the invention, the object is solved essentially thereby that a lever element is pivoted so as to be stationary about a second axis, stationary to the stationary first axis of the guide and retaining element, said lever element being connected with the retaining element and interacting with at least one catch element extending from the adjustable first rail, in such a way that, in the respective final position of the first rail, the retaining element is acted upon in such a way that the respective final position can be supported and controlled, whereby the lever element is articulated about a third axis with the retaining element via a hinged element that is flexibly connected with the lever element, said third axis being parallel to the first and second axis.
According to the invention, a system is proposed with which the first rail, e.g. tongue rail, is additionally fixed in its respective final position via the spring element acting on the retaining element. To this end, the catch element extends from the rail, said catch element interacting with the retaining element via the lever element or the hinged element flexibly connected thereto in such a way that, when in one of the final positions, the spring tension acts on the catch element in such a way that it is secured, and thus also the first rail. In particular, the tension produced by the spring element acting on the retaining element is thereby always directed in such a way that the lever element endeavours to interact with the catch element in such a way that the final position of the first rail to be obtained is supported when said rail is moved, that is, especially in the last third of the adjusting movement.
Furthermore, a switch element should be assigned to the catch element in such a way that its actuator produces switching signals dependent on the position of the catch element, namely, when the first rail is in one of its final positions. In particular, two switch elements, e.g. snap switches, are allocated to the catch element, the actuator of each switch element then engaging in a recess in the catch element when the first rail, e.g. tongue rail, is in one of its final positions. As a result, the position of the rail can be controlled to the extent that both the final positions and the intermediate positions can be checked based on the signals derived from the switch elements. Since the switch element or switch elements interact directly with the catch element, which is in turn connected with the adjustable rail, a compact structure results in such a way that the overall system, including the switches, can be positioned within a tie field, so that the bearing rails outside of the ties otherwise required, to which final position controls are fastened and which, in turn, are connected with tongue rails via control rods, can be omitted.
Alternatively, the retaining element and switch element can form a unit or actuate the latter. There is also the possibility of being able to use, or construct accordingly, other elements of the system that are moved or adjusted with the movement of the first rail to release a signal, e.g. a switch signal.
In particular, the invention is distinguished therein that two catch elements extend from the adjustable first rail, whereby one of the catch elements interact with the lever element in each of the final positions of the rail in such a way that the catch element is secured in its position, whereby a movement is first supported.
Preferably, the lever element is a two-armed element, a glide element sliding along each catch element, e.g. a roll, being provided on opposite sides of its axis of rotation. In particular, the corresponding glide elements are placed on each end of a straight arm or arm section which passes over into an angular section on which the hinged element leading to the retaining element is articulated.
The catch element is thereby configured, or the glide element aligned to it, in such a way that, when the first rail is in one of the final positions, one of the glide elements interacts with one of the catch elements and the other glide element is disengaged with the other catch element. As a result, the lever element can be selectively swivelled due to the connection with the retaining element in such a way that said lever element acts on the catch element interacting with it, that its adjustment is supported insofar as the rail connected with the catch element reaches its final position and remains there.
In particular, to obtain a compact unit and to ensure that the force required to adjust the first rail does not have to overcome undesirably high spring tensions, it is provided that, in each of the final positions of the first rail, the retaining element is acted upon by a force in the same direction, in particular in direction of the first rail.
To ensure an additional securing of the catch element and thus the first rail in the respective final position, it is provided that the catch element have a recess in its surface interacting with the glide element, the glide element engaging in said recess in the final position of the first rail. The recess is thereby arranged, in particular, in the intersecting area of two surfaces of the catch element preferably extending at a right angle to one another.
According to a further embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the lever element is placed between the catch elements connected with the first rail, whereby the lever element slides and rolls off with its glide elements along surfaces of the catch element facing one another.
In order that the lever element interacts with only one of the glide elements with one of the catch elements prior to the first rail reaching one of the final positions and when in this final position, it is provided that each catch element has two sections, a protruding and an inset section, staggered vis-à-vis one another, in their surfaces facing one another, the recess in which one of the glide elements engages when a first rail is in one of the final positions being provided in the respective protruding section. Preferably, the sections thereby extend parallel to one another and parallel to the shift path of the catch.
To ensure that only one glide element interacts with a catch element in the respective final position or just before it, while the other glide element is free, the protruding sections extend at a distance from one another in projection at a right angle to the shift path of the catch elements, in direction of the shift path.
With respect to the monitoring of the final position, the two existing switch elements, e.g. snap switches, should interact with their respective actuator with a surface of one of the catch elements that extends opposite the surface along which one of the glide elements of the lever element slides. However, this is not an imperative feature.
In particular, the invention is characterized therein that the system comprises two guide elements, preferably configured as a tubular guide, which are each swivable about a stationary axis, that the retaining element which is axially adjustable or shiftable to the guide element extends by area within the guide elements or partially surrounds it as an arm bracket, that every arm bracket is prestressed vis-à-vis the guide element by means of the spring element, e.g. compression spring, preferably surrounding it, that the retaining elements are pivotable about a common axis that extends parallel to the stationary axes and which forms the second axis from which the hinged element that is connected with the lever element extends. In this case, the second axis can be adjusted along a straight line that extends parallel or almost parallel to the shift path of the catch element when the first rail and thus the catch element is adjusted.
In particular, the unit formed by the guide and retaining elements is arranged so as to be symmetrical to the straight line along which the second axis can be adjusted.
To ensure that the spring tension always acts in a specific direction on the lever element, the second axis, from which the hinged element connected with the lever element extends, extends independent of the position of the first rail, due to the construction according to the invention, on one side of a straight line intersecting the first axes, in particular between the straight line and the first rail.
In order to be able to adjust the catch element together with the movement of the first rail with low friction and little support structure, the catch element is intersected by a guide shaft which extends from a mounting support or a housing that should extend within a tie field, namely directly or almost directly below the rails. As a result, especially the tamping of a track is not prevented.
In a known construction, a block proceeds from the first rail, said block then in turn being connected with the catch element via a fastening element, e.g. threaded rod, whereby the distance between the catch element and the block can be adjusted. As a result, the switching point of the switch element can be varied.
The compact construction of the system can also be produced, in particular, thereby that the units formed by the guide and retaining elements extend in a first plane and the catch elements in a second plane extending parallel thereto in the mounting support or housing which is situated in the tie field.
The catch element itself has a rectangular shape with, in particular, an L-shaped or T-shaped geometry in a top view.
The hinged element itself has two axes of rotation, a first axis of rotation of which coincides with the second axis intersecting the retaining element. An arm extends rotatably from the second axis of rotation, said arm being a section of the lever element which is preferably configured in an L-shape and whose arms preferably also comprise an obtuse angle. Moreover, the two axes of rotation intersect a plate or fishplate element of the joint element, the plate or fishplate element can have a recess in its peripheral area on the lever side in which the glide element close thereto engages when the first rail is in an abutting position, the other glide element simultaneously engaging in the recess of one of the catch elements allocated to the final position corresponding to the abutting position, whereby the axis of rotation of the lever element extends between the axis of the retaining element and the second axis of rotation of the joint element. As a result, the forces produced by the spring elements are transmitted to the catch element via the joint element and the lever element in such a way that it supports the retention of the first rail in its final position.
The adjustment in preferably the last third of the adjustment path is supported thereby that the roller element engages in the recess adapted to its geometry and thereby that the then effective forces of the spring press the roller element more or less completely into the recess.
The object of the invention is also solved, in particular, by a system for securing and/or controlling the final position of a first rail, e.g. tongue rail, that can be adjusted in relation to a stationary second rail, e.g. rigid rail, the first rail interacting with at least one retaining element that is acted upon by a spring element, which, on the one hand, supports the first rail in its respective final position, therein that at least one catch element proceeds from the adjustable first rail, said catch element interacting with the retaining element in such a way that the retaining element is acted upon by the force in the respective final position in such a way that the respective final position can be supported and controlled.
The retaining element can thereby be adjusted by spring tension at a right angle or almost at a right angle to the shift path of the catch element and interact with a coulisse extending from the catch element in such a way that the first rail is supported in its movement to the final position by the spring tension transmitted via the retaining element. The coulisse itself can be a projection or an indentation of an effective width which corresponds to the first rail in its adjustment path length supported by the retaining element.
At least one signal generator is allocated to the catch element itself, said signal generator generating the signals that can be allocated to the adjustment path, in particular the final positions of the first rail. In this case, the signal generator and the retaining element can form a unit.